DOT HEEDS RESIDENTS IN I-95 PLAN

Heeding the pleas of residents over businessmen, state transportation officials are recommending that the 1.5-mile stretch of Interstate 95 between Davie and Broward boulevards be moved to the west when widened and that Davie Boulevard be raised over the highway.

The recommendation is contained in an Environmental Impact Statement released Wednesday after a 1 1/2-year study and forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration for final approval, expected by the end of this year. Construction would begin in 1989 and take two years to complete.

The recommended alternative, one of six studied, follows the wishes of hundreds of area residents who turned out in force at an April public hearing, but it goes contrary to the desires of area businessmen, 67 of whom will be forced to relocate as a result.

"I'm happy," said Elaine Reynolds, a homeowner on Southwest 16th Terrace. "The people getting out and voicing their opinions probably had a help in getting what we wanted. They said they'd listen to us, and they did."

Businessman Al Siegel, co-owner of Southern Contract Carpet, said he was not happy about it, but was resigned to the decision.

"There's nothing we can do about it," he said. "You can't fight City Hall. I had a hunch this was coming. When all those families turned out at that hearing, I knew it would be up to them.

"We'll relocate, but it's going to cost me a certain amount of my business that the I-95 exposure had given us. It will cost us quite a bit."

The study looked at three possible routes for the reconstructed and widened I-95 -- to the west, along the same route and to the east. It also looked at two options for what to do with Davie Boulevard -- move it over or under I-95.

The cost of the selected alternative is $60.2 million, including construction and right-of-way land-taking costs. The costs of the other options ranged from a low of $45.4 million to a high of $62.5 million.

The southern end of the proposed improvement project would connect to the South Fork New River bridges that are under construction.

The northern end would connect to the existing I-95 Broward Boulevard interchange.

The widened I-95 will include a three-lane feeder or collector-distributor roadway system to handle traffic entering and leaving the new Interstate 595 to the south, as well as a car-pool lane in each direction.

At the April public hearing, residents from the Shady Banks and Riverside Park neighborhoods supported the "western alignment, Davie Boulevard over I- 95" plan that will force the relocation of 67 businesses but only 27 homes.

The eastern alignment plan was supported by businessmen from the area. It would relocate 278 homes, but only 23 businesses.

The plan that would have kept I-95 along its current path had virtually no support, because it would have required the relocation of 123 homes and 67 businesses, in conjunction with the raising of Davie Boulevard over the highway.

In recommending the western alignment, the DOT cited the fact that the plan minimizes the negative effect on families, noting that the alternatives would have required five to 10 times as many residential moves.

The DOT also pointed out that the selected alternative minimizes highway noise by putting a majority of the new roadway lanes farther away from most of the residential areas and also will minimize the impact on local schools.

In addition, the DOT said the selected alignment was the least expensive when combined with raising Davie Boulevard over I-95.

In recommending that option, the DOT cited the fact that it will eliminate the at-grade railroad crossing at Davie Boulevard, preserving the option of using the rail corridor for the planned commuter rail system or the proposed high-speed rail plan, without needing a $30 million reconstruction of the Davie Boulevard interchange.

The DOT said that nearly all the businesses, which employ 635 people, affected could stay in Broward County, minimizing the economic impact.

Businesses involved include Buning the Florist, Mar-Tec Industries, Southern Carpets, Sound Advice, Music Arts Enterprises, as well as a furniture store, an electronics distributor, a print shop, eight car repair shops, two restaurants, five offices, a tavern and several small manufacturing operations.